Chapter 6 - Slowing Down

Just as she expected, Barry has vanished when she wakes up the next morning. He does, however, leave an invitation on her pillow to a swimsuit party that evening. She weighs her options. As a whole, she is absolutely exhausted. Glynnis has proven herself to be quite a vocal little toddler, the fiend, and Rhi's job's more physical than she ever might have expected.

Then again...it's Barry Tenderlove. And maybe some notable names will be at that party.

She calls the lazy sitter again and heads off to work that afternoon, informing him that she won't be back until very late.

What a good sitter.

When Rhiannon arrives at the party, she is shocked to discover that Barry isn't even there. Apparently he and one of his roommates got into a horrendous fight, and both men walked out for a chance to breathe.

"Waste not, want not," Rhiannon mutters as she mixes herself up a quick drink and chugs it down.

Surveying the other guests and roommates that have stuck around is more depressing than anything else. Few attractive men. A lot of big-chested women. But she is reminded of her complete lack of female friends (though for a reason, she'd tell you) and decides to see if she can change that.

Conversations fall pretty flat once Rhiannon realizes that no one in this house has any credentials or money to speak off. They're all a bunch of Bridgeport slackers! What is this?!

The lack of food is the last straw. Rhiannon takes herself home, thankfully snagging a taxi very close to the apartment. She is so exhausted that she feels she might pass out.

Her first order of business upon returning home is to change into her Formal attire in a delirious rush as the babysitter leaves. Her second order of business, on her way to feed Glynnis, is to pass out right there in the living room.

Glynnis is notably unconcerned. Though Rhiannon wakes up only a few minutes later when Glynnis crawls over and starts pounding on Rhi's face, the sheer horror of what just happened settles over her like a cold bucket of water.

Once the two of them get tucked into bed, Glynnis is out like a light. Rhiannon, however, lays there for what feels like hours rolling her despair over and over again in her head.

Toilet training waits for no one, however, especially since Rhi's damn tired of changing diapers. When there's a knock at the door, she realizes she's given up all pride and social decorum in the span of just a couple of weeks of living in Bridgeport. Nice. Very nice. "Come in," she calls anyway.

She'd like to pretend she's not pleased to see Mr. Tenderlove, but after that debacle of a party the night before she's actually rather keen on the idea. "I just want to know," Rhiannon calls as she ushers Glynnis toward her toy box. "How the hell you keep managing to get up here if I'm not buzzing you in."

"I've got connections?" he suggests, quirking a brow, but the effect falls pretty flat. She stares at him steadily, and he quails. "All right, so I'm friends with the guy on the other side of your floor, cool? Just figured I should check up on you when we were done hanging out."

"I could say the same thing about you." She crosses her arms over her chest. "What happened to you last night?"

Barry winces, rubbing the back of his neck as he looks away. "Eeh...yeah, that was rough. Sorry about that. I meant to call you, but I left my cell phone in my apartment, and-"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"So what's wrong? You look like you've got something on your mind."

Rhiannon stays quiet for a long moment, her eyes slowly floating toward Glynnis, who is currently playing inside her toy box. Such a strange child. "I just...I feel like such a shitty mom." She laughs and shakes her head. "I got in from your party last night and just...passed out right in the living room. I don't know. It was just weird. You can't do stuff like that when you've got a kid."

"Oh, hush." Barry reaches out and touches her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "That's enough. I bet you're a great mom. I mean, just choosing to keep the kid puts you miles ahead of everyone who'd just abandon them."

Rhiannon isn't so sure that's accurate, given just how little time she spends with the kid. Maybe it'd be best if she gave her up to social services after all. But her stomach rolls at the thought of it, and Rhi realizes with a faint sense of horror that she's actually ATTACHED to the thing now. Plumbob, just imagine that. What a sick joke.

But she really doesn't want to think about that anymore. It makes her start to feel panicky about being a decent parent, and panicky is bad.

Distraction, however...that's good.

"Thanks. You're sweet."

"I try," Barry says, looking over her as she steps closer with a flirtatious gleam in her eye. "Uh-"

"You left before we could have that rain check this morning," she reminds him, her voice dropping to a warm, husky timbre.

"Yeah, I, uh...I guess I did?"

"You're nervous. Relax." She coaxes him into turning around and positively relishes in his low groans as she presses her fingers into the knots along his shoulders. "You act like this is the first time you've done this."

"Done what?" he breathes, voice rough, and her heart pounds a little faster with adrenaline.

"Been seduced by a beautiful woman."

He is silent after that except for his appreciative swears and groans through the rest of the massage. His silence is oddly telling.

When Rhiannon turns him to face her again, he looks ready to speak, and so she shuts him up in the most effective way she knows.

"Goddamn it, Rhi." He pulls back. "I've got to get to work. I can't do this right now."

She considers how effective it would be if she grabbed him by the belt loops and dragged him into the bedroom. "Then be late."

"I can't. I'm up for a promotion today." Barry stares at her for a moment longer before he shakes his head and runs toward the door. "We'll finish this later. I mean it!"

Celibate monks. ALL OF THEM ARE CELIBATE MONKS. Or virgins, though that's far worse.

Rhiannon stares at Glynnis, who pops her head out of the toy box and gives her a toothy grin, before she presses a hand to her abdomen and sighs. Well. Might as well return to training her.

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The men of Bridgeport are the biggest cockblocks on the face of the planet. That's all I have to say about that.